An innovative leaching solution to the worldwide salinity crisis

The issue of salt accumulating in soil is as old as agriculture itself. ‘Salinity crises’ resulted in the collapse of ancient civilizations in Mesopotamia, and salinization was one of the catalysts for the invention of the world’s first irrigation systems[1] [2]. These were huge problems on a modest scale, but with soil salinization increasing exponentially across the globe, the impacts are ever greater and the need for a solution more pressing than ever to feed a growing population.

Current figures estimate that over 830 million hectares across all continents is salinized[3], and possibly up to 20% of all cultivated land and 33% of irrigated agricultural land worldwide[4]. Salts are naturally-occurring but salinity concentrations increase after many cycles of irrigation, while additional salts and minerals are also introduced by fertilizers. Crops grown on saline soil suffer “high osmotic stress, nutritional disorders and toxicities, poor soil physical conditions and reduced crop productivity”[5], which can over time turn fruitful fields into deserts. The issue has gained traction in recent decades, especially in arid or semi-arid regions where the problem is most pressing.  On the west coast of the US, for example, a 2000 study at the University of California estimated that about 4.5 million acres of irrigated cropland — more than half the state’s total at that time — were affected to some degree by soil salinization.

SOURCE BLOG on innovative leaching

Taxonomy

• Agriculture
• Crop Farming
• Sustainable Agriculture
• Soil Management
• Irrigation and Drainage